Know where the Delta is?

STOCKTON - Nearly half of Stockton's residents have only a vague idea - or no clue at all - that they live on or near the Delta, the largest estuary on the West Coast.

Alex Breitler

STOCKTON - Nearly half of Stockton's residents have only a vague idea - or no clue at all - that they live on or near the Delta, the largest estuary on the West Coast.

That is according to a survey commissioned by the city, which plans to draw drinking water from the Delta for the first time in the coming years.

"One of the most marvelous natural ecosystems in the entire world, and half of us don't know where it is. God help us," Stockton environmentalist Bill Jennings said.

The news does not surprise everyone. Officials long have known that the Delta has a public-relations problem.

Its islands are mostly private. Its 1,000 miles of waterways are hidden by levees. You need a boat to explore its inner arteries.

And yet, the Delta touches the lives of most people in the state. Twenty-five million Californians drink its water. Thousands come to the estuary each summer for recreation. Farmers earn a living tilling the islands to raise asparagus and other crops.

The Delta is in trouble. Fish are dying, and the state export pumps that fuel a $300billion economy have been shut down - temporarily, at least.

Never has awareness of the Delta been more important, advocates say.

"Because the Delta isn't a big body of water, because it meanders throughout the region, it's not identifiable," said Linda Fiack, head of the state Delta Protection Commission. "That makes it unique, but it's not an area that people connect with."

Many of those who answered the phone for the city's survey last December and were stumped by the location of the Delta might live within it. Its legal boundaries slice through the middle of Stockton south to north; if you live west of El Dorado Street anywhere north of downtown, you probably live on the Delta.

The sprinkler water that runs off your lawn and into the storm drain flows to Delta waterways. So too does the city's treated wastewater.

Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, leader of Stockton-based Restore the Delta, said she does not think the lack of public knowledge is as drastic as the survey suggests. But her new grass-roots campaign struggles to reach Delta dwellers who live in bedroom neighborhoods tucked behind immense earthen levees.

"I think the best way to reach (them) is really to work for the schools," said Barrigan-Parrilla, whose organization is trying to create Delta field trip programs for schoolchildren. Restore the Delta has grown from 60 to 500 supporters since it formed about six months ago, she said.

At another level, the Discover the Delta campaign, which includes businesses and environmentalists, is erecting 16 signs along highways reminding the public about the estuary. It also is planning a visitor center that will offer exhibits and tours.

Campaign director Tom Martens guessed that Bay Area residents have an even worse sense of the location of the Delta. This could be a problem someday if Californians are asked to front the money to pay for massive improvements in levees or infrastructure.

"You just won't have the support," Martens said.

Stockton officials hope Delta water will give the city a more-reliable source of water for decades to come. It hired a public-relations firm to gauge residents' knowledge about the Delta and their willingness to pay to make the project happen.

"Personally, I was surprised" about the lack of knowledge, said Bob Granberg, Stockton's deputy director of municipal services. "I'm so immersed in the Delta that I know a lot about it. It's surprising that some people don't."